Architecture BSc (Hons)

This course is in clearing

Why study at UEL?

Top 40 UK university

Guardian University Guide 2026

1st in England

Overall Positivity*, National Student Survey 2026

Fastest Rising in England for graduate employability

Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025

Overview

Course modules

In the Foundation for Architecture year, you’ll gain essential skills in design techniques, creative problem-solving, and hands-on architectural projects. The architecture programme emphasises collaboration, visual communication, and a critical understanding of architectural history and theory. It also equips you with professional and mental resilience skills, ensuring a well-rounded foundation for a future in architecture.

Throughout this architecture degree, you will develop a sound knowledge base and are encouraged to see, read, and articulate connections between developments in architecture and contemporary practice. You’ll enhance your ability to investigate, represent, and resolve design concepts while integrating technical and theoretical architecture knowledge.

In the second year of the architecture programme, you’ll deepen your understanding of design through advanced investigations and integration, focusing on resolving complex architectural challenges. Technical studies enhance your ability to represent and realise design ideas, while history and theory provide deeper insights into architectural contexts. The programme also sharpens your professional and personal development, equipping you with the skills to thrive in the architecture industry.

In the third year of the architecture programme, you’ll focus on mastering advanced design investigations and integrations, pushing the boundaries of creative and technical problem-solving. The curriculum emphasises the synthesis of design resolution with integrated technology, ensuring your projects are both innovative and practical. Deep explorations of history and theory provide critical perspectives, while the Mental Wealth module supports professional growth and readiness for the architectural field.

NOTE: Modules are subject to change. For those studying part time courses the modules may vary.

Download course specification

Entry requirements

Degree:

112 UCAS points

This is the standard advertised entry requirement for most students applying to this course.

Degree with contextual offer:

96 UCAS points

You may be eligible for a reduced offer based on your personal, educational or socioeconomic background.

Degree with foundation year:

64 UCAS points

If you do not meet the standard entry requirements, you can apply for a foundation year. This additional year prepares you with the academic skills needed to progress to the full undergraduate degree.

 

Missing some qualifications? 


We have a range of pre-entry programmes to help you meet the entry requirements for this course.

Recognition of prior learning (RPL)

Your previous qualifications, uncompleted study or industry experience may mean you can start your studies at a later point in the course and influence your eligibility for entry

What makes this course different

3rd in the UK

Our architecture courses ranked 3rd in the UK for “Teaching on my course” and “Academic Support” in the 2026 National Student Survey (NSS).

1st in the UK

Our Architecture courses are ranked 1st in the UK for Satisfied with Teaching in the Guardian University Guide 2026

Award-winning

Our Sustainability Research Institute and the School of Architecture have developed a multi-award-winning carbon-neutral material, Sugarcrete®.

Explore Sugarcrete

Accreditation

Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA Part 1)

Our architecture course has the unconditional recognition of the Royal Institute of British Architects, giving exemption from Part 1 of the RIBA Examination – one of the three parts required to register as an architect in the UK.

Connecting Creativity

Discover career-focussed, practice-based, collaborative art education at East London Arts. Through degrees, community projects and industry partnerships, we shape the next generation of creative talent in East London and beyond.

Explore East London Arts

Course options

Select year

Degree

UCAS code: K100

Architecture BSc (Hons), home applicant, full time

  • Home Applicant ,
  • This course is in Clearing,
  • Full time, 3 years
  • £ 9,790 per year

Architecture BSc (Hons), international applicant, full time

  • International Applicant
  • Full time, 3 years
  • £ 16020 per year
Applications for September 2027 open soon

Degree with foundation year

with foundation year
UCAS code: KC65

Architecture BSc (Hons), home applicant, full time

  • Home Applicant ,
  • This course is in Clearing,
  • Full time, 4 years
  • £ 9,790 per year. Subject to change, see fees, funding and additional costs below

Architecture BSc (Hons), international applicant, full time

  • International Applicant
  • Full time, 4 years
  • £ 16020 per year
Applications for September 2027 open soon

Degree

UCAS code: K100

Architecture BSc (Hons), home applicant, full time

  • Home Applicant ,
  • Full time, 3 years
  • £ 10,050 per year. Subject to change, see Fees, Funding and Additional Costs below.

Degree with foundation year

with foundation year
UCAS code: KC65

Architecture BSc (Hons), home applicant, full time

  • Home Applicant ,
  • Full time, 4 years
  • £ 10,050 per year. Subject to change, see fees, funding and additional costs below

How we support your career ambitions

We offer dedicated career support, and further opportunities to thrive, such as volunteering and industry networking.

Our courses are created in collaboration with employers and industry. This ensures they accurately reflect the real-life practices of your future architecture career and provide you with the essential design skills needed.

You can focus on building interpersonal skills through group work and benefit from our investment in the latest cutting-edge technologies and facilities to help you land your first architecture job.

Career Zone

This digital platform provides you with careers and employability resources, including:

  • Jobs board for internships, placements, graduate opportunities, flexible part-time work
  • Mentoring programmes for insight with industry experts
  • 1-2-1 career coaching services
  • Careers workshops and employer events
  • Learning pathways to gain new skills and industry insight

Mental Wealth programme

Our Professional Fitness and Mental Wealth programme issues you with a Careers Passport to track the skills you've mastered. Some of these are externally validated by corporations like Amazon and Microsoft.

Our Mental Wealth programme

We are careers first

Our teaching methods and geographical location put us right up top:

  • Work-based projects
  • Networking and visits to leading organisations
  • Support in starting a new business
  • London on our doorstep

Careers Guarantee

The UEL Careers Guarantee is the University’s commitment to supporting you with your career development during your studies and after you graduate. It brings together careers guidance, employability support and opportunities designed to help you prepare for work or further study.

What can I do with this degree?

An architecture degree from UEL opens doors across the built environment and creative industries. Previous graduates have gone on to work at leading firms including Kengo Kuma, Stanton Williams, Haworth Tompkins and AHMM. 

Typical job roles and further study include: 

Read our blog about careers in architecture

Official student data from Discover Uni

The banner below displays some key factual data about this course (including different course combinations or delivery modes of this course where relevant).

How you'll learn

The heart of the architecture degree course is the design studio. Here you'll learn the strategies of architectural design through hands-on design project work. You'll also learn from lectures, and from reading and writing designed to stimulate your creative mind.

At the core of our teaching philosophy is the relationship that develops between students and our academic team, so we teach you in mainly small groups to ensure you have plenty of contact with your tutors and lecturers.

As well as excellent studios, our modern, purpose-built Docklands campus in the heart of east London's vibrant regeneration area features extensive wood, metal, and digital fabrication workshops, photographic darkrooms, printing, and computer suites.

You'll visit study sites and buildings, cities, and landscapes in the UK and abroad. Each year there's an overseas study trip, and you can choose from a variety of different design units which often involve overseas travel.

At the end of the academic year, you'll exhibit your work at our summer showcase. There are also opportunities to enter competitions and win scholarships, individually or as part of a team.

Guided independent study

When not attending timetabled lectures or workshops, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. This will typically involve skills development through online study, reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects and preparing coursework assignments and presentations. Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, and specialist facilities, such as game labs, the library, the full Microsoft Office software, including MS Teams, and Moodle: our Virtual Learning Environment.

Academic support

Our academic support team provides help in a range of areas - including learning and disability support.

Dedicated personal tutor

You'll spend time with a personal tutor at least once a week to guide your academic development and ensure you have all the personal support you need. If you need a bit of extra help with certain skills such as academic writing, English, maths, or statistics, our Academic Tutors offer workshops, drop-in sessions, and one-to-one appointments to help our students achieve their potential.

Workload

Full time students have three full days of teaching (10.00-17.00) during term time, which is 25 weeks per year. 

You will also have to work outside class time to develop your design work and complete reports, essays and other assignments. Allow for 40 hours per week total workload. 

There is a week-long field trip one week per year.

Your timetable

Your individualised timetable is normally available to students within 48 hours of enrolment. Whilst we make every effort to ensure timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week between 9.00am and 6.00pm. For undergraduate students, Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities, but there may be occasions when this is not possible.

Class sizes

At the core of our teaching philosophy is the relationship that develops between students and our academic team, so we teach you in mainly small groups to ensure you have plenty of contact with your tutors and lecturers.

How you'll be assessed

Assessment tasks are mainly spread across the year to make the workload manageable. Assessment methods include group work, exams and individual work including essays, presentations, case studies, professional development and practical activities depending on the nature of the course. All grades count towards your module mark. More details will be included in the student handbook and module guides. You will always receive detailed feedback outlining your strengths and how you can improve. We aim to provide feedback on assessments within 15 working days, although you will receive immediate feedback following many of our face-to-face assessments.

These different assessment methods can help you build and create your architecture portfolio that will help you in your future career.

Knowledge and practical skills are assessed by:

  • course work
  • design projects  
  • essays 

Skills for life and work (general skills) are assessed:

  • individually through the ability to produce design projects
  • by course work and essays
  • through the ability to explain one's work verbally at reviews and at level six (year 3) to an external examiner 

Campus and facilities

What our students and staff say

Rafael Fischer speech at "Timeless Flight" unveiling
Here you get to feel that you get to be part of a family, and you don’t find that anywhere else. I would strongly recommend people to come here and visit and see the amazing work that we have been doing and to come and join us. The University of East London is the future. It’s a great place to study and it’s a nice place to be."

Rafael Ives Ribeiro Fischer

Architecture Student

Gertrude Teca Nsamba with the Assael Tenacity Award Certificate
The modules, workshops, and on-site experience were great and enriching because by teaching us more in practice, it prepared me better for working life."

Gertrude Teca Nsamba

Architecture (ARB/RIBA) Part 1 BSc (Hons) student and Assael Architecture Award for Tenacity winner

Architecture (RIBA) Part 1 FAQs